Susana Baca

When: Wed., Sept. 22, 8 p.m. 2010

Susana Baca
introduced the music of Peru's
African minority with the help of David
Byrne. He put Baca's song "Maria Landó" on the Soul of Black Peru compilation, the
first collection of Afro-Peruvian music to be released in the US, and signed
her to his Luaka Bop label. Afro-Peruvian music is
marked by its smoky rhythms and melancholy lyrics, and Baca's world-weary
vocals fit the music perfectly. She incorporates elements of jazz, Cuban, and
Brazilian music into her sound and often melds traditional melodies with the
words of poets, as she does on her recent SeisPoemas EP, which also features lyrics by
Peru's
ChabucaGranda. Baca
plays on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Palace
of Fine Arts Theatre (3301
Lyon St., San Francisco).
8 p.m., $25-$65. PalaceofFineArts.org